Manual transmission conversion
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,229
Likes: 656
From: Thunder Bay
Depends entirely on your skill level, facilities, and tools available. I did mine a couple of years ago. Its a lot of work, but entirely doable. I spent all winter doing it. Its mostly swapping parts. You will have to make some modifications to the floor to clear the shifter, and fill in part of the hole left by the removal of the automatic shifter. Nothing major. I made a patch retained with screws. You don't have to weld it. I don't know if the kit you are referring to includes a driveshaft. If not, you will have to get it shortened and balanced. There are also some issues with the U-joints. The U-joint for the TKO is different from the U-joint on the driveshaft. I used a conversion U-joint to make the connection. Lots of little stuff to deal with but nothing that requires a rocket surgeon. Do your homework on the transmission you are buying. The shifter has to be properly located to fit in the C3 and there are a bunch of different companies doing the relocation. I got mine from Modern Driveline and have had issues with the shifter rattling. Told them about it and got zero support. Ask around and find out who has the best shifter setup available before you write the cheque.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,179
Likes: 1,668
From: Long Island
My friend used Silver Sport (SST) and had no issues with his conversion. Their kit is not the cheapest but does include the bell housing, driveshaft, mounts, etc and corvette shifter.
You do have to index the bell housing - which can be a pain if you don't have a lift.
He went with the Z bar and it's a pain to put it in. SST has numerous options.
Myself and a few friends I helped have used their 5 speed conversions and they do answer you're question's and fit very well.
You do have to index the bell housing - which can be a pain if you don't have a lift.
He went with the Z bar and it's a pain to put it in. SST has numerous options.
Myself and a few friends I helped have used their 5 speed conversions and they do answer you're question's and fit very well.
Last edited by BLUE1972; Feb 16, 2017 at 11:24 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,114
Likes: 598
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html
As the other stated, the offset shifters are difficult to find that don't have some problems. My American Power Train white lightning shifter leaks leaks and leaks. The manufacture didn't have a solution so I redesigned the seal , but still don't have a 100% leak free unit.
Other important note, play close attention to the clutch pedal ratio. If you don't get enough travel, the clutch won't work well. I went hydraulic clutch with a twin disc to get a very light pedal feel. In the above post I started with a single disc clutch which was a very heavy clutch pedal.
Last edited by cagotzmann; Feb 17, 2017 at 01:19 AM.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,743
Likes: 289
From: Chardon Ohio
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 31
Likes: 2
Some good stuff here. I plan on doing a t56 swap from auto on my 81 here next year. Maybe this year if I feel froggy. Seems like there's quite a bit of conversion parts to make it work, but take your time and do the research like anything else and you should be able to stay ahead of the "snags" or "complications". Can't wait to see how your project progresses. Long live the manual trans!!!
